Metroid: The Untold Story
by BetaDecay
Summary: A young bounty hunter finds himself wanting to kill the Space Pirates who attacked his home.


Metroid  
The Untold Story  
J.D. Pearl  
Age while working on this: 13-15  
Pages: 16   
  
With a few taps of his console, one of the most wanted bounty hunters, 19-year-old Drake Starlight received a distress signal from a nearby space station. "What!? Ceres station is under attack? How can this be? They just installed a new, top-of-the-line security system. I hope I can make it in time!" The young man said in his big, manly voice.  
Within moments, he was inside the asteroid belt surrounding Ceres station. A blip appeared on radar. The blip seemed to be another bounty hunter's ship, but the young, wanted man ignored it for the time being and flew at top speed to Ceres' half-wrecked docking bay. There was debris and clutter everywhere. This ominous sign put a bad taste in his mouth.  
The bounty hunter tapped his console as his cockpit door slowly opened. Drake made his way through the clutter and reached the door on the other side of the room. He hit the open button on the door's control panel. The door opened and Drake's mouth dropped as he saw all the people in the main room dead. "N-n-no! This isn't happening! They are all. DEAD!" Drake said to himself, breathing heavily. "Oh no! I pray my worst fear hasn't come true!" Drake rushed toward the main laboratory. The lab was not too far from the main room so he reached it quickly. The breath-taken hunter entered the laboratory where he found his parents, Henry and Yvonne Starlight, brutally murdered at the hands of an unknown enemy. "No! No, this isn't real. this CAN'T be real! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" He screamed with tears rolling down his face.  
  
Drake flashed back to an argument he held with his parents one month earlier. "It's always about you and your ridiculous science projects, isn't it!? You've always got to have it your way. Everything must be science! That's the way you see it, huh!?" Drake yelled with malice.  
"Drake, we only want what is best for you. If you go exploring, we'll barely ever see you. You're our only child, please reconsider." Yvonne replied tenderly.  
"Your mother is right, Drake. If you go, we won't be able to see you, and we'll miss you dearly. You'll be with the wrong crowd and going off doing who-knows-what. You must not. no, you will not go!" Henry added authoritatively.  
"No, you're wrong! If you think that you science fanatics are going to keep me cooped up for eternity, then you had better get a life! I HATE THIS PLACE, I HATE SCIENCE, I HATE SCIENCE PROJECTS, I HATE RESEARCH, AND MOST OF ALL I HATE YOU!" Drake yelled with bitter anger as he stormed out of the laboratory and flew away in his ship.  
Drake grew up on Ceres station. His parents were the head scientists researching the "Metroid" project; the "Metroid" project dealt with the research and study of a mysterious being named "Metroid." Studies and examination on these round and almost jellyfish-like creatures revealed that the Metroids had unique energy retaining properties that could solve all of mankind's problems. Unlike his parents, Drake despised anything to do with science or research and the like. He wanted more. Drake wanted to explore the vastness of space.  
  
Drake had a bitter sorrow in his heart for the things he did and said as he fell to his knees in tears. "I wish I could take every last word back. if I were here. I-I could have saved them. but I. I was too selfish. selfish and stubborn. I could have. I could have prevented this. I vow. that I will kill the one who did this!" Drake said to himself between gritted teeth. He got up from his knees and wiped the moisture from his face. The emotion-stricken young man stormed down the long hallway nearby. About halfway down the hallway he could hear laser blasts and what sounded like the screeching an alien creature of some sort coming from his dorm. "What's going on?" Drake wondered. As Drake neared his dorm, he heard the self-destruct sequence alarm. "The self-destruct sequence!? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE!?" The alarm blared as he raced back to his ship. Drake fired up his engines and flew out of the area as the place he knew so well was destroyed.  
  
The young Bounty Hunter thought of those days when he was young and would play with his friends on Ceres. "I've got it!" a young blonde-headed boy called to his friend as he jumped up and caught the ball. The young one came down onto a table of beakers in the lab with a crash. "Great catch, Drake!" a stout red-head complied. Drake got up and brushed himself off, soon noticing a wet spot on the back of his pants. Drake looked at the table and the overturned beakers. "Aw man! My parents are gonna kill me if they find out about this! Quick, Nate, grab some cloths!" Nathan Cambridge quickly obeyed and rushed to the doorway, where he bumped into Henry Starlight, arms at his hips. "Hurry up! We gotta soak this up before-" "Before what, Drake?" Henry's voice called from the open doorway, eyeing the mess in the laboratory. "Uh oh." Drake moaned. "How many times have I told you not to play in the lab, young mister!?" Henry scolded sharply. "But I-" Drake tried to speak. "No 'buts,' Drake! Do you realize what you've done!? You've just set our research back by three months!" Nathan then quickly zipped out of the room, under the angry glare of Mr. Starlight. "I. I. I'm sorry daddy. I didn't mean it, honest." Drake replied guiltily.  
  
"Oh Drake. you know you did something you shouldn't have, didn't you?" Henry asked softly, relinquished of all anger. "Yes, daddy." Drake looked down, ashamed. "And when you do things you shouldn't, you need to be punished, right?" "Yeah." "Ok, then. Go to your room until dinner is ready." "Ok daddy." the saddened boy responded. A tear trickled down his face as he trudged to his room. Drake slumped onto his bed and laid there. Soon after, his mother came up to visit him. She sat down on his bed next to him. "Playing in the lab again?" Yvonne spoke with compassion. "You know that the lab is off-limits." "Yeah. I won't go in there anymore." "That's my good boy." Yvonne spoke as she hugged Drake tightly. Her brown hair draped over him and made his nose itch. "Mom, I'm gonna sneeze." She let go and patted him on the leg. "C'mon, dinner is ready." Yvonne continued. Her brown eyes looked to the doorway. Drake got up and walked out the door of his room.  
  
Drake missed his home. "I was always the trouble-maker. it's a wonder that my parents even bothered to deal with me, but they did." Drake spoke to himself. He looked down at a monitor which was fixed on where Ceres was minutes earlier. All that was left of his home, his friends, his family was debris. Thinking of how it was destroyed built up rage inside. Drake pressed a few buttons on his control panel and he felt his ship adjust its velocity.  
  
Midway between the asteroid belt and the remains of Ceres station, a winged creature zipped past his ship at blinding speeds.  
"Whoah! What was that?" Drake tapped his computer controls speedily to see if the database had any information on the bird-like animal. "Searching. searching. searching." the computer displayed as it looked for information that matched the creature's shape and size. "Data found! Data found!" The computer found some data on the creature. "At last!" Drake exclaimed, "Let's see, what does it say? 'Ridley: a more evolved version of the Pterodactyl. Ridleys have been extinct for over a year. The last Ridley was killed when, bounty hunter, Samus Aran foiled the plots of the Mother Brain and her Space Pirates on planet Zebes a year and a half ago. However, rumor has it that Ridley was reconstructed by the Space Pirates and was killed again by Samus again on Tallon IV. Space Pirates are half mechanized, half organic, overgrown praying mantises with advanced technology. The Space Pirates used Ridley on raid missions to pillage space colonies. It is most likely that Ridley was the one who destroyed Ceres.'" Drake continued as he read the text that was displayed aloud. "So he was the one. and he dwells on planet Zebes? Computer, search for the location of planet Zebes!" he continued. "Searching. planet found. Planet Zebes: Class: XIX. Mass: 4.8 trillion teratons. Profile: Fourth planet in its solar system. Zebes is a toxic planet with an atmosphere uninhabitable by most bioforms. Zebes is noted for its extreme heat in underground caverns as well as an over abundance of ascorbic acid. The crust is composed of primary Urthic ore, which allows for good conditions for subterranean excavation and construction. Many Space Pirates inhabit this planet. Caution is advised. Estimated time of arrival: one hour. Do you wish to continue?" The computer flashed as Drake read the information. "Yes, set a course for Zebes now." Drake told his computer. Just as Drake's ship was about to blast into hyperspace, the other ship, which appeared on radar before Ceres blew up, zipped past with the same trajectory as Drake. "Hmm, looking to steal my bounty, huh? I think not, I have a few matters to settle with the Space Pirates and their like." Drake said with determination.  
  
Drake's ship then jumped into hyperspace. On the way to Zebes, Drake put on a vest that contained fully mechanized armor plating and weaponry. "With this vest, I can deploy armor, breathe the atmosphere, form any type of weapon around my hand, and increase my speed, strength, and agility with just the touch of a button! Ha! Now let's see if those cowards like the taste of their own medicine!" Drake remarked with confidence.  
"Entering planetary atmosphere, please make sure protective apparatus is secure so the ship may depressurize." the computer cautioned Drake.  
"Done! Computer, depressurize the ship." Drake ordered after he deployed his armor.  
"Commencing depressurization..." The computer stated as the ship's pressure slowly hissed out into the atmosphere. "Depressurization complete, you may now leave the ship."  
  
As Drake walked out of his ship, he noticed the air was very smoggy and there was no vegetation anywhere aside from a few lichens on nearby rock faces. "This place seems deserted. I wonder if I really should even go any further." Drake commented to himself as he kept walking. About a mile further he found the same ship that he found on radar earlier. "What is he doing here?" Drake wondered. Around the other ship Drake found bounty hunter footsteps. Drake decided to follow them and find out why the bounty hunter was also here.  
  
The footstep led to a dark cavern, which looked as if it would go on and on. Drake didn't want to go in, but the thought of his parents pushed him into the cave. Further and further he went. Drake traversed so far into the cave that darkness enshrouded him. The darkness prevented Drake from seeing so he flipped on his lights built into his helmet. Drake walked for almost two miles before he found a hole leading downward. The other bounty hunter's footprints led to the hole. Drake assumed that the other hunter went down it.  
  
With a deep breath Drake jumped down into the hole. The ground was rather soft and the atmosphere was highly acidic. So acidic, in fact, that the rocks were smooth from the corrosive properties the air had. As he followed the footprints further, the air began warming up a bit. Drake decided to check what data the computer on his vest had about the area he was in to find why there was a change in temperature. The computer searched for information and found a few tidbits about this place. The computer then projected the information onto Drake's visor. The area's name was "Brinstar," which had a high level of acid and some magma pools as well.  
"Oh, magma. well it's a good thing I have this vest on. Enough, I have no time to waste here." Drake spoke.  
  
As the footprints led Drake on, he was stunned to see alien body parts sprawled along the floor and walls. Drake couldn't make out what kind of species it was due to the gruesome dismemberment of the creatures. Although Drake had a helmet on, the stench was so strong that it stung his nose and the footprints still kept going. A few feet ahead, he met up with a half-dead alien. This alien was shot only once and as he neared it, Drake stood still, paralyzed with fear. Drake's computer revealed the alien to be a Space Pirate. The Space Pirate seemed to be saying something, but the computer couldn't translate it.  
"I thought. the Space Pirates. were supposed to be. strong. Whoever did this. must be. incredibly powerful to be able to kill a troop of Space Pirates." Drake said with a hard swallow. A moment later, the Space Pirate died. The Space Pirate's wounds, the computer showed, were from a Power Beam blast, which was unmistakably from a bounty hunter. "So, Mr. Mysterious really is a bounty hunter!" Drake thought in reassurance of who he was trailing, "Well I will have to talk with him!"  
Drake walked further and saw a bluish glow radiating around from the next bend. He progressed and found that the blue light was emanating from a force field. "Class one force field; small, Power Beam blast needed to penetrate." the computer on Drake's vest mentioned in its robotic voice. "Hmm, only a small, Power Beam blast? Maybe this won't be as hard as I thought. Computer, initiate weapon deployment: Power Beam." Drake commanded. "Initiating." The computer replied as metal plates formed a Power Beam over Drake's right hand from the armor. "Weapon deployment complete." Drake fired a blast at the field and continued into the next room. He walked only a few yards when he came up to a split in the path. The footsteps went both ways so Drake was unsure of which way to go. "Computer project map of Zebes sub-area Brinstar." Drake ordered. "Searching. searching. ERROR. No maps of Brinstar found, download from uplink necessary." The computer informed. "Ok, then. Computer, locate nearest map uplink in Brinstar." Drake replied. "Searching. uplink found." "Good! Where is it?" "Take left route to room with blue force field guarding entrance." "Ok!"  
  
Drake followed the left route and blasted down the field. He found the map uplink in the middle of the room. He attached his weapon to the plug in and downloaded the map of Brinstar into his computer's database. The uplink seemed to be used recently. The hunter was here.  
  
Drake returned the crossroads and took the right path. His computer projected the Brinstar map on the inner lining of his helmet as he progressed. Drake followed the footsteps until he came up to another blue force field. He checked his map, which said that there were hostile creatures in the next room. Drake told his computer to change his weapon to a Plasma Beam. The armor plates around Drake's hand shifted and elongated. His Plasma Beam was ready to incinerate. Drake demolished the force field and rushed into the next room. The room was absolutely enormous, but Drake didn't see any creatures. There was a long corridor on the other side, and Drake saw the footsteps lead to it. Drake continued following them through the soft clay-like earth. He walked about thirty yards when he found the remains of a more advanced Space Pirate. Drake was determined to find out why that other hunter was here.  
  
As Drake neared the end of the corridor he could hear laser blasts and the roaring of a monster of some sort. "Computer, what is in the next room?" Drake inquired. "The map shows the monster Kraid dwells in the next room." "What information do you have on this Kraid?" "Kraid is a dinosaur mutated from the toxicity of this atmosphere. It is rumored that it throws parts of its body and regenerates them as quickly as they are thrown." "Sounds like fun! Time join the party! Here goes." Drake replied as he blasted down the force field and entered the room. When Drake entered the room he saw the bounty hunter facing off with Kraid. Kraid seemed to have taken a number of hits, but wasn't backing down. Kraid was hideous. He was a huge, deformed dinosaur with three eyes and spikes growing out of his stomach. The bounty hunter wore a purplish suit and used some form of highly-concentrated Plasma Beam blasts. The blasts were much more effective than Drake's could ever be.  
  
Despite the incredible strength of the attacks, the hunter's blasts seemed to have little effect. Shots were being fired, blows were being landed, and neither gave up. The hunter blocked and dodged Kraid's attacks while firing as many shots as possible. The experienced hunter ran around Kraid at lightning-fast speeds, but the monster grabbed him anyway. Kraid proceeded to crush the hunter with its immense strength. "I must act now! Computer, fire all weapons at the monster, Kraid!" Drake ordered. "Acknowledged!" The computer replied as it fired every last bit of energy it had in one extremely powerful shot.  
  
A large amount of smoke engulfed the room, but after it cleared, Kraid was still standing, slightly scorched and very annoyed. "Oh no! The blast was only powerful enough to dislodge the other bounty hunter. I'm out of energy. I hope he can finish Kraid." Drake said to himself disappointedly as he collapsed to the ground. "Alright, enough playing games! Let's finish this, Kraid!" the bounty hunter yelled as he fired some a large missile at Kraid's face. The blast almost caused a cave-in, but the cavern managed to stay intact. The smoke from the blast was so thick that you couldn't see your hand if it were two inches in front of your face. Once the smoke cleared, Kraid finally fell to the ground. Kraid was dead, and the battle was over. "Hey, nice show! You really finished off Kraid, huh?" Drake said as the hunter passed him, paying no attention to Drake's immobile condition. "Hey! Hey wait, where are you going? I can't move! I need to regenerate my power cells in my armor. Could you get me to a generator?" "Why should I help you? I have more important things to take care of." the bounty hunter replied coldly. "Is that the thanks I get for saving you?" "Hah!" the hunter scoffed, "You!? Save me!? What a joke! I was just waiting for the right moment to launch a full-on assault at Kraid's face! All you did by breaking his grip on me was let him live longer. Your heroics were pointless!" "Pointless!? Fine! Just be that way, but could you at least get me to a power cell recharger?" Drake pleaded. "If I must!" the hunter replied in exasperation as he dragged Drake to the cell recharger that was uncovered by the missile blast. "Thank you." Drake said after he recharged the power cells in his suit. "What is your name anyway, and why are you here?" Drake inquired. "I am Samus Aran, top bounty hunter in the galaxy. I work for the Galactic Federation and I brought the Metroid to Ceres station for research. I am here because I received a distress signal from Ceres station. I found that the Metroid there was missing when I returned, but when I found it, Ridley ambushed me. Ridley was being used by the Space Pirates again. I knew that Ridley lived here and I am now making my way further into Zebes to kill him." Samus replied. "You're Samus!? Wow." Drake exclaimed in awe, "So Ridley destroyed Ceres?" "Yes." "Then he is the one who I have my quarrel with." Drake said very plainly. "Why is that?" Samus wondered. "My family lived on Ceres. I had many friends there as well, but was foolish and left because of my own selfish ambitions." "I see. so you're looking for revenge?" "You could say that. I will make my way toward Ridley and I will blow him into as many pieces as he blew Ceres into! Then I will crush the Space Pirates!" Drake said with an indignant voice.  
"Well then, we are here for the same purpose."  
"Did you lose family to them too?  
"." Samus didn't respond.  
"I think the air in this room is breathable" Drake replied, trying to change the subject.  
"Yes, it is." Samus responded.  
"Why don't we take off our helmets? At least we'll know who we are."  
"Fine." Samus replied as the long, flowing blonde hair dropped halfway down her back when her helmet revealed it.  
"Y-you're a. girl?" Drake commented in astonishment.  
"No, I am a 22-year-old woman." Samus corrected.  
"I would never have guessed that you were a female."  
"That just goes to show that women can do just as much as men can."  
"Well. I just thought you were a guy."  
"Most guys do."  
"So how close are we to beating the crap out of Ridley?"  
"We are here, in Brinstar. We need to get to Norfair, which means that we will have to traverse through Maridia."  
"Well I'm ready to go. You had better get ready or you'll be left behind!" Drake commented with a cocky attitude.  
"No! You don't know what you will be facing. I have traveled through here before and I know my way around this place better than you ever will."  
"Ok, but hurry." Drake replied impatiently.  
  
Samus and Drake both got their helmets on and made their way to Maridia. Maridia was an aquatic place with many fish-like creatures. Samus and Drake killed any hostile ones they encountered and managed to make their way to the end. Samus blasted open the door guarding the final room in Maridia and they both walked in. A few moments after they walked in, they felt a large rumble.  
"What was that?" Drake asked.  
"That would be one of the underwater earthquakes that Maridia has periodically." Samus replied. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, an enormous seahorse-like creature emerged from one of the cracks in the ground.  
"It appears there is a little more here than you had expected." Drake commented.  
"But that wasn't here last time I traversed Maridia." Samus replied.  
"Well it looks like we'll have to finish him before we get to Ridley."  
  
Samus and Drake both took shots at the overgrown seahorse, but the attacks had no effect.  
"Computer, locate data on this creature quickly!" Drake commanded.  
"Searching. searching. searching. data found. Draygon: an over- evolved seahorse who lives in the deep depths of Maridia on planet Zebes. This creature was found only recently when a volcanic eruption occurred in Brinstar. The eruption caused a few caverns to be opened. After the volcanic activity settled, Draygon was found inhabiting the area. It is not known whether Draygon caused the eruption, but what is known is that Draygon was not here before-hand." the computer replied.  
"Computer, does Draygon have any known weaknesses?" Samus inquired.  
"Searching. data found. Draygon has one weakness: it can be killed with a strong burst of electrical energy." the computer stated.  
"Great, but where are we going to an electricity source?" Drake questioned.  
"The last time I was here, I severed an electrical line on the other side of the room. I'll go get it." Samus said as she swam past Draygon barely avoiding getting squashed. "Ok! I've got it. wait, there's no current running through the wire! Try flipping the H-switch next to your head!" Samus continued.  
"Ok!" Drake replied as he flipped the switch.  
"Good, now I'll attach the live end to Draygon."  
"Be careful!" Drake cautioned. Samus touched the live end of the wire to the seahorse and fried its insides. Draygon's remains sunk back into the pit from whence it came.  
  
Samus and Drake both traversed farther and entered Norfair. This place was lush and tropical with many exotic plants. There was an entire ecosystem thriving here. Both of them decided to try their best to keep the ecosystem intact, but a band of heavily armored Space Pirates caught up with them. Samus charged up her Plasma Beam and blew through three of the Space Pirates, but the attack exhausted what was left her energy supply. Drake attacked with a number of strong shots but they barely scathed the mutant cretins. Just as the Space Pirates were about to kill the two bounty hunters, a small Metroid hovered overhead, latched its short, tooth-like tentacles onto the creatures and drained every last bit of life force from them. After the Metroid finished draining the Space Pirates' energy, it flew off into the distance.  
"Whoah! Was that what I think it was?" Drake said in awe.  
"Yes, a Metroid. the Metroid."  
"The Metroid?" Drake responded in wonder.  
"Yes, the Metroid. When I foiled the Mother Brain's plans, I found a database holding all sorts of information about how the Space Pirates wanted to use Metroids as a source of infinite power to take over the universe. I did research on the Metroids and I found out that their home world was planet SR388. I went to SR388 and I killed every Metroid there. I managed to make it to their Queen Metroid, whom I killed after launching all my Missiles at her. After I killed her, I made my way back to my ship, but, on my way back, I found a small Metroid egg that hatched right in front of me. This Metroid followed me like a misguided child. I brought it back to Ceres station for research. This is how project 'Metroid' started. I stayed for a little while to make sure everything was safe there. The findings were amazing! Everything that the Space Pirates recorded was true. We figured that we could use its power for the good of mankind. All seemed safe, so I decided to leave the station. I had gone no further than the asteroid belt when I received a distress signal from Ceres. I rushed back to the station to find the Metroid missing. I searched the rooms for the Metroid only to find Ridley holding the case containing it. I did what I could to stop him but he caused the self-destruct sequence to initiate and I had to get out of there."  
"So you were the reason I heard shots coming from my dorm?"  
"Yes, that was me fighting Ridley. I didn't have enough time to do any significant damage due the self-destruct sequence. Since I ran, Ridley escaped with the Metroid in its clutches. The Metroid that was stolen is the same one that hatched in front of me and is same the one that just flew in front of us. We need to make sure that the Space Pirates don't harness the power of that Metroid or all hope for saving the universe will be lost. I don't understand how Ridley attacked me. I killed it over a year ago. We had better follow that Metroid, and fast!" Samus explained after she switched to her secondary power supply.  
  
Drake and Samus both ran after the Metroid as fast as possible; however, it was losing them. The Metroid led them through dark caverns, twisting mazes, mud, lava, more tropics, and almost into the hands of more Space Pirates. After an hour of chasing, the Metroid was out of sight. The Metroid had led them to the edge of Norfair. They were in a large room and wanted to look for the Metroid there before progressing. Samus heard a crunching, cracking sound overhead as a pebble and some dirt fell on her suit.  
"Samus, look out!!!" yelled Drake as he lunged toward Samus; knocking her over. Drake knocked her over just in time as a golden effigy fell to the ground from the ceiling. The statue looked strangely similar to the Space Pirates but wasn't so much like a praying mantis. "What in the.?" Drake said.  
"Ah! It's been a while since I've seen one of these!"  
"W-what is it?"  
"It's a Chozo statue. They were planted throughout different planets that were once under Chozo control. They give helpful items to those who are of Chozo blood or have Chozo blood in them."  
"Ooh! Cool! So, where can we find a Chozo?" Drake asked.  
"The Chozo have been extinct for over a decade." Samus informed.  
"Aw man! I was hoping for a new toy to beat Ridley. Why did they have to be dead when I was just about to have some fun?"  
"The Space Pirates." Samus responded.  
"Huh?" Drake asked blankly.  
"The Chozos found this planet in one of their exploration missions. They found the Space Pirates here. The Pirates were very weak and quite undeveloped at the time. The Chozos claimed the Pirates' planet for the Chozo Alliance. The Chozos helped the Pirates by giving them some supplies and weapons. The Chozos even put their own soldiers on the planet to help protect the Pirates. The soldiers would lie dormant until someone with Chozo blood activated the soldier. They acted like statues for the most part. This was done so that there wasn't any social unrest on the planets because of soldiers walking through the streets or watching people's houses. When a planet was in trouble, a Chozo diplomat would be sent to activate the statues. The Space Pirates eventually decided that they would rather live on their own and flew to the Chozos' home planet and killed every last one." Samus notified.  
"Why would they do that?" Drake asked.  
"I believe that it was the Mother Brain who came to their planet and paid them to kill all the Chozos. Most of the statues were left but age crept up on them and they eventually broke down. Since there was no one left with Chozo blood to activate them, they couldn't regenerate when they awoke. There are a few of the stronger statues still around, but not many."  
  
"So. where would we get Chozo blood?"  
"I have Chozo blood infused in my bloodstream. That is how I can use this suit made by the Chozos and that is how it enhances my abilities when I wear it."  
"Okay, so you just walk up to or something?"  
"Well. usually I use my suit to morph into a compact ball and I bounce into the hand of the statue. but this one is standing."  
"Is that not what the statues usually look like?"  
"They are usually crouching and have their right arm outstretched. this one's standing upright and it is made of gold. they're usually stone statues. I don't understand. I've only met up with one other statue like this, but even it wasn't gold." Samus replied in confusion. Samus approached the statue and examined it. Samus turned toward Drake and shrugged her shoulders. "Well I guess this one's just a normal statue." Samus said, still facing Drake, as she patted the golden chest. Immediately the statue's yellow, fiery eyes opened. The statue lunged one of its long arms at Samus to stab her, but she stepped to the side and jump-flipped backward over the statue's head. "Hmm, this is a different type of statue but it is a Chozo nonetheless." She continued. Drake, you continue looking around for the Metroid, I'll take care of this." Samus commanded.  
"Right, but don't get yourself killed. I. uh. you'll have to lead me out of here after this ordeal." Drake replied queerly, as if trying to hide something.  
  
Drake continued searching the room and anything that could conceal a Metroid. Samus had her hands full with the Golden Chozo. The animate statue swung is arms at Samus but she managed to dodge each attack with swift precision. The Chozo jumped at Samus trying to jab one of its spiky fingers through her suit. Samus grabbed the hand and crushed it. The bird-like animal screeched in pain. Samus charged a Plasma Laser blast and shot it at the Chozo. The golden statue tried to get out of the way but the blast took off its right arm. Samus circled the fiend with blinding speed as she occasionally shot it. The Chozo marked her movements and spit a blast of glowing, burning ooze at Samus. The blast knocked Samus over and just about glued her to the ground. She struggled to get up as it jumped forward and punched Samus in the stomach with massive force. The blow knocked the wind out of Samus and she fell back again. The Chozo was just about to stab Samus with its spiky fingers when Drake interrupted,  
"Tch! I don't think so, pal!" Drake fired rapidly at the Chozo with Power Beam blasts and perforated the Chozo's exoskeleton. The creature's body shook vehemently as round after round pierced its outer hull. The statue screeched in excruciating pain as it was torn apart by Drake's attack. Drake left nothing to chance and fully discharged his armor's energy cells while firing at the lively statue. The Chozo then fell to the ground next to Samus. The creep was dead. Samus managed to destroy the oozing bond that held her to the ground and stood up. Seeing that Drake had no energy left, she attached her weapon to his and gave him half of her energy.  
"That Chozo really bought the Metroid a lot of time." Samus said.  
"So, now what do we do?" Drake wondered.  
"Set your sensors to detect plasma trails. The Metroid will give off a trail of plasma that will linger for hours on end." Samus replied.  
"Ok, will do!" Drake and Samus tuned the sensors in their helmets to detect plasma trails. Blue clouds fogged their sensors as they followed the Metroid yet again. They followed the trail for almost two hours, but no Metroid.  
"I don't think we'll ever find that Metroid. it's just too fast, and face it, we're lost." Drake admitted.  
"What? Are you saying you don't think I know every step that we take? You don't think that I know where we are going? I know where it's taking us. I know why it's leading us. I know why it saved us; although I wish I didn't." Samus stated  
"How come?"  
"Because I believe it is leading us to one of my greatest fears." Samus replied with a slight quiver in her voice.  
"I see. well we should follow it despite that fact."  
  
Drake and Samus continued following the plasma trails until they reached a force field with a green color emanating from it.  
"Why is this one green?" Drake asked.  
"I don't know; I didn't see this last time." Samus replied.  
"Computer, what kind of force field is this?" Drake questioned.  
"Scanning. scan complete. This is a high-class adamantium-based force field, which is 250% stronger than the blue-tinted force field previously encountered. An explosion of enormous caliber is necessary for destruction." the computer stated.  
"So what do we do?" Drake asked as he turned toward Samus  
"I don't know. I highly doubt that continually firing at it will do anything." Samus replied.  
"Wait, Samus, remember that one missile you used to defeat Kraid? Maybe that will be strong enough." Drake said with enthusiasm.  
"You mean my Super Missile? Well. I could try. but the force might cause a cave-in. We would be crushed!" Samus warned.  
"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" Drake pronounced boldly.  
"Alright then. here goes." Samus replied reluctantly as she braced herself. She fired a Super Missile directly at the field. The blast from Samus's Super Missile was powerful enough to destroy the force field and the surrounding doorway. Luckily, the surrounding area remained intact.  
"That will work." Drake spoke with a smile.  
  
Drake and Samus entered a room with a dome-like structure to it. On the other side of the room Samus spotted the Metroid floating further into the distance. Drake and Samus ran speedily after the Metroid, but once they got halfway through the room, heavy winds started to blow. Drake was knocked over by the fierce gale. As Drake staggered back to his feet, he noticed two glowing eyes gleaming at the two hunters from the ceiling.  
"S-Sam-mu-muss, what is th-that-t?" Drake stuttered with fear.  
"That would be him." Samus replied with a fierce tone in her voice.  
"Who? Ridley?"  
"Yes"  
"Fine then, we will take care of him, here and now!" Drake stated.  
"Yes, I concur. Apparently he's been following the Metroid as we have, but we must make sure he never sees the day when he gets his hands on that Metroid!" Samus spoke with courage.  
"Right!"  
"Ridley! We know you're here! Your time has come! You have escaped death once, but never again shall you see daylight!"  
  
Drake and Samus both rushed to the area under where Ridley was hanging. Ridley let out a loud roar. The skeleton of the extinct creature swooped down and hovered over where the two were standing.  
"It's just a skeleton!?" Drake questioned.  
"Yes. it is. The Space Pirates must have revived what was remaining after I killed him on Tallon IV. I received a distress signal from a derelict space colony in orbit over Tallon IV so, naturally, I investigated. It was a Space Pirate vessel, I soon found out due to all the dead Pirate bodies flung around the walls of the rooms. While I was there, I met up with a Parasite Queen, which I destroyed; however, its death caused a reactor core explosion. It was the Parasite Queen that had killed the Pirates, I surmised, as I ran back to my ship. On my way there, I ran into what looked like Ridley. He had many mechanical enhancements added to his being. He took off before I could get a shot in so I rushed to my ship and gave chase to him. The colony exploded, but there was nothing I could do. Ridley lost me so I landed on Tallon IV. After some exploration I found the information on Metroids and how the Space Pirates wanted to harness their power that I told you of earlier. I managed to find the whereabouts of Ridley, so I tracked him down and destroyed him again. but."  
"But? But what?"  
"But that caused Metroid Prime to immerge. I had also read up on a specific Metroid that was mutated by the Space Pirates. This Metroid was known as Metroid Prime. I managed to destroy him, barely, but something was bothering me. If the Pirates could make one Metroid so powerful. what could they do with a whole army of them? I decided it was time to pay a visit to SR388 where, as you know, I destroyed every Metroid but that larva. Somehow the Space Pirates got word of that last Metroid and rebuilt Ridley again to go fetch it for them. heh. I must have done so much damage to him that the Pirates couldn't reconstruct his organic tissues." Samus enlightened as she aimed her Plasma Beam at Ridley.  
"This is it!" yelled Drake.  
"Good luck!" Samus replied. She fired charged Plasma Beams at Ridley as Drake distracted the fiend. Samus got seven rounds of shot on the monster while Drake continually dodged any oncoming attacks. Samus charged her Ice Beam and managed to freeze part of its leg, but the undead skeleton would not give up. Ridley then swooped down at Samus and was about to grab her in its talons when Drake shot an enormous Wave Beam at the beast. The beam managed to chip Ridley's beak! The frustrated Ridley flew over Drake as it tried to stab Drake with its tail. Drake jumped to the ground just in time and got five rounds off, but Ridley still kept coming with attacks. Ridley dove beak-first at Drake. When the pterodactyl reached five feet from Drake's body, Drake saw Ridley go up in smoke. Samus had used a Super Missile! Drake then staggered to his feet.  
"Whew, thanks a lot! That was close, he almost had me!" Drake said thankfully. "Anytime!" Samus replied with a smile.  
"Ok, let's resume chasing that Metroid!"  
"Good idea." Samus responded as she turned to leave.  
  
All of the sudden, they heard a distinct yet familiar roar. Ridley wasn't dead! The Super Missile only managed to blow away the lower, frozen portion of Ridley's left leg. Ridley, engulfed in rage, soared at incredible speeds toward Drake. Drake managed to dodge the attack but part of Ridley's wing clipped Drakes arm. If Drake's armor should fail, he would die! Drake and Samus both used their best attacks but Ridley still kept coming at them. In a streak of speed Ridley caught Samus up in its right talon. Ridley proceeded to squeeze Samus hard enough to crush her.  
"Drake! HELP!" Samus yelled in desperation.  
"Oh no! He's got Samus!" Drake rushed to Samus' rescue, but was knocked away by a swift swoop of Ridley's tail. Time and time again he tried to rescue Samus, but was knocked down each time.  
  
Exhausted by the fight, Drake collapsed. Drake had no energy left within himself.  
"I can't do it. I have failed." Drake thought. Visions of his dead friends and family and the argument with his parents filled his head. The visions seemed to say,  
"No! Drake, you must fight! You cannot give up. Not now! You have come too far. Are you going to give up on us? Don't make the same mistake again." This vision showed Drake what he was fighting for. Why he was here. He couldn't give up. not now. He had lost so many to Ridley and he wasn't just going to let that happen again. Drake's rage built up inside him, with hate and anger toward Ridley. Drake, fully rejuvenated from the vision, yelled out to Ridley,  
"RIDLEY!!! YOU CAN KNOCK ME DOWN, YOU CAN CRUSH MY PRIDE, BUT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE SPIRIT INSIDE THAT BURNS WITH HATRED FOR YOU! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY! YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS! YOU DESTROYED MY HOME AND NOW I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THE ONLY THING I HAVE LEFT: MY HEART! YOUR TIME IS UP RIDLEY! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THE HEINOUS CRIMES THAT YOU HAVE COMMITTED AGAINST HUMANITY!!! YOU SHALL SUFFER!!!" Drake screamed, with blood-red eyes that seemed to glow. A red flame engulfed Drake as he charged his Ice, Wave, Spazer, and Plasma Beams into one extremely concentrated attack.  
"RIDLEY! YOUR TIME IS UP!!!" Drake screamed with an inhuman voice as he fired his blast at Ridley's cranium, shattering it into sub-atomic fragments. Samus dropped to the floor as Drake ran up to her. "Are you ok?" Drake inquired.  
"Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you." Samus replied while trying to catch her breath.  
"We should try to follow that Metroid again." Drake stated as the glow in his eyes returned to normal.  
"Right! Let's go!" Samus agreed.  
  
Samus and Drake resumed following the now faint plasma trail left by the Metroid. They followed the Metroid farther and farther into the deepest part of Zebes: Tourian. This was the inner core of Zebes where only a few select Space Pirates could live. They followed the trail until it dissipated completely.  
"Where did the plasma trail go?" Drake asked turning to Samus, hoping for an answer.  
"I don't know. This is strange. Never has a Metroid's plasma trail ever been concealed. I wonder where it went." Samus answered.  
  
In the distance there was a troop of Space Pirates coming their way. The marching sounded as if there was a multitude of twenty or more-there was no way Drake and Samus could fight them all off. As the troop drew near, one of the mutant mantises said to the others,  
"Clo! Noy ee thuvian so, li mah gnu!"  
"We've been spotted! RUN!" Samus yelled to Drake.  
"How do you know that they found us? Drake replied.  
"I can understand Piratian. They said, 'Look! There they are, get them!'"  
"Ok, then we had better run!" Drake agreed with exuberant enthusiasm.  
  
Just as Samus and Drake turned to flee, the Metroid appeared. The little life-sucker mingled around Drake and Samus for a moment and then turned toward the Pirates. With a squeal, the Metroid bolted for the Pirates and scattered them. The Pirates futilely tried to destroy the creature, but their weapons had no affect. The jellyfish fastened its longer tentacles onto a Pirate and yanked the Pirate towards its fangs. The Metroid then drove its dagger-sharp fangs into the Pirate and began draining the life out of it. While being sapped of its life the Space Pirate screamed in pain. After a moment all that was left of the Pirate was a pile of dust. The other Pirates still tried to destroy the Metroid, but it drained the life from every last Space Pirate. The more Pirates it sucked the life from, the bigger the "misguided child" grew. After draining all of the Pirates, the huge Metroid flew away into the distance.  
"Do you think it's trying to help us?" Drake asked  
"It sure seems that way. Metroids are naturally born to kill, as you saw here, but it didn't touch us. I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that it hatched in front of me." Samus answered.  
  
Samus and Drake continued following the Metroid. The Metroid led them to a wide-open room. The room was very dark and seemed strangely. alive. Drake saw the Metroid floating in the middle of the room. The Metroid lingered, and then flew off.  
"Samus, let's follow it."  
"." Samus didn't reply.  
"Are you ok? You seem rather dazed." Drake questioned.  
"It's. happening. it's happening all over again!" Samus quivered with fear while sweat rushed down her face. "The mother brain. she is. alive!" Samus continued.  
"What? I thought you killed it."  
"I did, but it must have been able to regrow. I must have scattered her molecules with the Wave Beam I used. Depending upon where and how you hit her, the Mother Brain can regenerate."  
"So we have to fight her again?"  
"So it seems. so it seems." Samus repeated to herself.  
  
Drake and Samus took one step into the room and lights surrounding the room turned on. There she was, the Mother Brain, encased in a glass cover. The Mother Brain was a hideous, over sized brain with a few small tentacles sprawled here and there. Between them and the Mother Brain were a series of force fields with laser turrets above and below them. Samus and Drake knew what they needed to do.  
"I'll handle the force fields; you go for the Mother Brain!" Drake commanded.  
"Ok!" Samus said enthusiastically. Drake proceeded in making quick work of the force fields and managed to take down a number of turrets as well. Samus shattered the glass casing and pumped round after round after round of Super Missiles and Ice Beams into the Mother Brain. A couple times Samus was nearly hit by the turret blasts, but she was fine. After fifty or so rounds of fire, the Mother Brain finally gave way and died.  
"We did it!" Drake stated with glee.  
"Yes, it is finally over!" Samus said with a sigh of relief.  
As Drake and Samus were about to get the Metroid, they heard a hideous, blood curdling, bone-chilling shriek.  
"Oh no! The Mother Brain... it's still alive!" Samus cried out in horror.  
  
Drake and Samus turned around to see that the Mother Brain had sprouted legs, a spine, and arms! The hideous creature drooled as it stood up to its twenty feet in height. Samus and Drake both charged and fired the most powerful blasts that you could ever imagine, but the Mother Brain still stood standing. No matter how many attacks Drake and Samus used, the Mother Brain quickly recovered. The Mother Brain was unstoppable. A rainbow of colors started to fill the room as the colors were being absorbed into the hideous cretin's brain. At the same time, a ball of energy was forming in the Mother Brain's mouth. She was going to use her most powerful attack! The Mother Brain aimed directly at Samus. Samus stood her ground and stared into the eyes of the Mother Brain. Despite her bold gesture, Samus was incredibly fearful. The Mother Brain released the energy and it flew at Samus. Before the attack could reach Samus, Drake jumped in the path of the monster's blast. The blast shot right through Drake and sent him across the room.  
"Drake! No, why did you do that? Please don't die! Don't die, PLEASE!!!" Samus pleaded as she ran up to her friend.  
"Samus, it was. an honor. to fight by your side. I have avenged my family so now. I can finally. rest in peace. You know. ever since I met you. feelings for you arose. I tried to hide it, but I can. no longer. Samus. I love you. Please. kill the Mother Brain. You are. our only hope." Drake replied as he passed away.  
"Drake. I will... I WILL beat the Mother Brain." Samus said softly. She clutched Drake's lifeless hand as she burst out crying. Samus cracked. she couldn't take it any more. Something had to be done and done now! She would not tolerate this any longer.  
  
Samus rose to her feet charged a massive assault and unleashed it directly at the gummy flesh covering the ogre's chest. The blast lasted for ten minutes straight, but when the smoke cleared, there was the Mother Brain, barely hurt and lightly singed.  
  
Samus, completely drained of all energy, couldn't move at all. To make matters worse, the Mother Brain was charging her rainbow blast again. This was the end for Samus. The Mother Brain aimed for Samus, but just as she was about to fire, the Metroid suddenly flew out of nowhere at Mother Brain. It latched onto the drooling monster and thrust its fangs deep into its skull. The Metroid then wrapped its tentacles tight around the large head as an oddly-colored aura seemed to flow into the Metroid's jelly body. During the while, the horrible monster gave out an ear-splitting scream. The Mother Brain gradually lost her color and dried out. This caused the Mother Brain to freeze. The Metroid then detached itself and started drifting towards Samus.  
"Oh no, the Metroid is going to kill me!" Samus thought. The Metroid reached Samus as it latched its tentacles onto her suit, but the Metroid behaved as if was trying not to hurt Samus. The grasp on Samus' suit was tender, caring, and gentle, not tight and constricting like the grasp the Metroid had had on the Mother Brain or the Pirates. The Metroid was nursing its mother-caring for her in her time of need. A moment later, a rainbow- colored aura surrounded Samus as the Metroid started to slowly recharge Samus's suit with the Mother Brain's energy. Samus watched as her power meter gradually climbed. As the Metroid recharged Samus, Samus noticed slight movement coming from the Mother Brain. She was still alive!  
"Oh man! Does this thing never die?" Samus whispered to herself. "Hurry. my baby. hurry."  
  
The Mother Brain staggered to her feet as she commenced attacking the Metroid. Once the Metroid fully revitalized Samus, it went to suck more life out of the Mother Brain, but right before it could reattach itself to the enormous cranium, the Mother Brain fired one last rainbow blast and shot it right through the Metroid. The Metroid burst into hundreds of pieces that were scattered all over the room.  
"No! You cannot do this! You will not do this!" Samus yelled in remorse at her loss. Samus' friend, Drake: dead. Samus' child, the Metroid: slaughtered. "I will not let you kill any more innocent beings. You shall die! MOTHER BRAIN, YOUR LIFE IS IN MY HANDS NOW AND I'M GOING TO TAKE IT! YOUR LIFE WILL BE THE SACRIFICE FOR THE LIVES OF MY FAMILY, THE LIVES ON MY HOME PLANET, THE LIVES OF THE CHOZO, AND THE LIVES OF THIS METROID AND DRAKE, WHO WERE BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERED AT YOUR HANDS! YOU HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN THE ACT! NOW THERE MUST BE JUSTICE! I AM THE LAST CANDLE OF HOPE FOR HUMANITY AND I WILL NOT BE SNUFFED OUT! YOUR FATE IS INNEVITABLE, MOTHER BRAIN!" Samus screamed with anger, hate, spite, fear, sadness, happiness and remorse all in the same instant. Samus charged her Ultima Beam, which she received from the Mother Brain's energy, to max and shot it through the Mother Brain's immense skull. The cranium shattered and the Mother Brain fell to the floor. A purplish-green liquid oozed from her demolished brain. The Mother Brain was finally dead, and peace was finally restored to the galaxy. Samus took Drake's body and returned to the Galactic Federation where she was recognized as the greatest bounty hunter of the known universe. Samus returned home and gave Drake a proper burial as she recognized who the true hero was.  
The End  
I thank my fellow writer, Mecha Shadow, for inspiring me to make this  
fanfiction better and more colorful than before. 


End file.
